Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Baden-Baden and the Black Forest

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Leads in town

Baden-Baden's police ordinance puts dogs on a lead in every public park, the Lichtentaler Allee included, and on every street inside the marked town-centre zone around the Kurhaus. The Gönneranlage rose garden beside the Allee doesn't admit dogs at all. Badenweiler has the same rule, dogs on a lead in the village centre and in the Kur- und Schlosspark.

The spas

The Caracalla Therme and the Friedrichsbad don't admit animals, and neither do the spas at Brenners, Bareiss, Traube Tonbach and Roomers. Schwarzmatt doesn't publish a rule for its spa. Roomers won't let a dog stay alone in the room, so ask your hotel about a sitter before you book treatments. Brenners arranges one for a fee and Bareiss charges EUR 20 an hour.

Buses and the funicular

Baden-Baden's buses are in the KVV network. A dog rides on a child ticket, goes free in a carrier the size of small luggage, and rides free with a day ticket or a monthly or annual pass, one dog per ticket. Dogs must be on a short lead and off the seats, and a muzzle is only required for a dog that could endanger other passengers. The Merkur funicular charges the child fare for a dog, EUR 4.50 up and down, and a small dog in a carrier goes free.

Trains

Local trains in the KVV area follow the same child-fare rule. On Deutsche Bahn long-distance trains, a dog outside a carrier pays half the fare and must be on a lead and muzzled. Baden-Baden station is out in Oos, and buses 201, 201E, 213, 218, 244 and X45 run from there to Leopoldsplatz in town.

The national park

The Black Forest National Park, next to the Baiersbronn hotels, asks for dogs on a lead throughout, and walkers to stay on the marked paths. Some paths close seasonally, so check the park's closure map before a long walk.

Dogs at breakfast

A no at Brenners, Bareiss and Roomers. Schwarzmatt and Traube Tonbach don't publish a breakfast rule, so ask when you book. No hotel on the list takes dogs into its restaurant.

Weight limits

Roomers takes one dog up to 30 kg and Traube Tonbach small dogs only, in some room categories. Brenners, Bareiss and Schwarzmatt publish no limit.

Vets

The Tierärztezentrum Baden-Baden at Im Rollfeld 58 is open Monday to Friday 8:00 to 18:00 on 07221 920320. For nights and weekends, the Kleintierklinik Ettlingen at Hertzstraße 25, between Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe, is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on 07243 77977.

Best walks

The Lichtentaler Allee along the Oos from the Kurhaus past Brenners into the parkland, on a lead and skipping the Gönneranlage rose garden. The Merkur, 668 m, by funicular and back down through the forest. In Baiersbronn, the Murg and Tonbach valley paths from the Bareiss and Traube Tonbach doors and the Black Forest National Park trails on a lead. In Badenweiler, the Kur- und Schlosspark on a lead and the trails towards the Hochblauen.

When to go

Late spring to early autumn, when the Lichtentaler Allee is at its best and the forest paths are dry. Summer afternoons in town can be warm, and the forest heights are the cooler walk. Check the national park's seasonal path closures before a big hike, and if you're going for the Traube Tonbach DogDays, ask for dates, as the hotel runs them seasonally. The Merkur funicular runs daily from 10:00 to 22:00.